Jim%2520Piascik Archive

Rain delays messed with the box scores Wednesday night, leading to some Giovanni Soto confusion. Soto did not actually throw Wednesday (his innings happened way back on November 21), but he was actually on the mound Thursday and impressed. Join Jim Piascik as he brings you the latest from Soto and gets you up to date on the rest of the action across the globe as he takes you Around the Farm.

Given teams in the Caribbean are playing to win games -- as opposed to the minor leagues, where player development is more important -- watching the usage of players and who teams trust is instructive. For example, seeing Giovanni Soto be trusted as a starter, after not pitching extensively in that role since 2012, is a real sign of faith in the left-hander. Join Jim Piascik as he breaks down Soto’s start on Wednesday and the rest of the action from across the globe as he takes you Around the Farm.

There has been no shortage of speculation this offseason on the availability of Boston Red Sox outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, both in the national media and on this site. But as of right now, it does not appear Cleveland and Boston line up as trade partners. Last week, Fangraphs’ Dave Cameron proposed a three-team trade involving the Mariners to move Cespedes, but as Jim Piascik writes, a three-team trade involving Cleveland instead of Seattle could lead Cespedes to the corner of Carnegie and Ontario instead.

The WAR Room is back again, bringing you the 2014 advanced stats for every Cleveland minor leaguer. With the minor league seasons at an end and the seasons in review finished, The WAR Room moves to ranking the top-100 prospects in 2014 based on performance. But instead of just listing based on pure performance, there is a twist to make the rankings more relevant. Join Jim Piascik as he introduces the rankings and gives his honorable mentions in the latest edition of The WAR Room.

Most of the Cleveland minor leaguers playing in winter ball got Thanksgiving off yesterday, with no scheduled action in Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic. Every player in Venezuela and Australia got a day off as well, leaving only Tim Fedroff in action. Join Jim Piascik as he checks in on the outfielder and takes you on a Fedroff-focused trip Around the Farm.

An often repeated phrase surrounding Cleveland baseball over the past two decades regards how poor the organization has fared in the draft. But exactly how bad has Cleveland been? And how do they stack up against the rest of baseball? Join Jim Piascik as he continues his series of analyzing Cleveland’s draft history with the 2002 draft, another surprisingly decent draft class that was messed up down the road, not on the day of the draft itself.

Given how short the season is in the offseason leagues -- and the absence of other baseball for us to pay attention to -- it is easy to overreact to small sample sizes. Such is the case with Jose Ramirez, who is having a rough go in the Dominican this offseason. Join Jim Piascik as he looks into whether this appears to be a fluke or a trend, writes about Jesus Aguilar's return to action, and checks in on the rest of the action from across the globe as he takes you Around the Farm.

The WAR Room is back again, bringing you the 2014 advanced stats for every Cleveland minor leaguer. With the minor league seasons at an end, we continue bringing you seasons in review, with today's featuring the 2014 Arizona League team. This week we focus on the hitters, with Jim Piascik comparing the team's two MVP candidates in Bobby Bradley and Yu-Cheng Chang, taking a look at Li-Jen Chu breaking out on the field, and much more as he takes you into The WAR Room.

Expectations can drive our perception of things. If we are anticipating it to be freezing cold in mid-November, we can brace ourselves and be prepared. If we are blindsided by it, that cold can feel even worse than it already does. Jesus Aguilar’s four-digit OPS last year in the Venezuelan Winter League has raised expectations, but as Jim Piascik explains as he takes you Around the Farm, while it feels a little disappointing on the surface that he is not hitting at that level again, the first baseman is still having a good season.

In order to make a minor league team work, you need players who are willing to move around the field and not be an everyday starter. One of those players for Cleveland is Audy Ciriaco, who logged significant time at first base, second base, third base, and shortstop for the Columbus Clippers in 2014. Ciriaco recently re-signed with the organization, and as Jim Piascik recaps while taking you Around the Farm, celebrated with a big night down in the Dominican Republic.

Nick Swisher is a big name going around the hot stove lately, with reports out that Cleveland could be looking to move the soon-to-be 34-year-old in a bad contract-for-bad contract swap. But while many seem ready to move on from Swisher, such a trade may be premature. Join Jim Piascik as he breaks down why the devil Cleveland knows in Swisher seems better than the ones they don’t on the trade market.

The WAR Room is back again, bringing you the 2014 advanced stats for every Cleveland minor leaguer. With the minor league seasons at an end, we continue bringing you seasons in review, with today's featuring the 2014 Arizona League team. This week we focus on the pitchers, with Jim Piascik breaking down a quintet of starting pitchers who pitched well in 2014, checking in on a bunch of pitchers who made their organizational debut, and much more as he takes you into The WAR Room.

One of the great things about following the minor leagues is watching a player finally put everything together. Roberto Perez was never a top prospect, but over the past year, he has improved to the point he is a legitimate major league player. Join Jim Piascik as he writes about Perez being at it again last night in Puerto Rico, Giovanny Urshela’s continued excellence, and much more as he takes you Around the Farm.

Right now, it seems there is nothing Giovanny Urshela cannot do. The third baseman may not have the first round pedigree or a massive signing bonus that typically gets national attention for a prospect, but Urshela continues to prove his worth on the field. Join Jim Piascik as he recaps another big night for Urshela in Venezuela as well as the rest of the action from across the globe as he takes you Around the Farm.

The WAR Room is back again, bringing you the 2014 advanced stats for every Cleveland minor leaguer. With the minor league seasons at an end, we continue bringing you seasons in review, with today's featuring the 2014 Mahoning Valley Scrappers. This week we focus on the hitters, with Jim Piascik breaking down their star-packed outfield of Bradley Zimmer, Greg Allen, and Taylor Murphy, checking in on Francisco Mejia's on-the-field progress, and much more as he takes you into The WAR Room.

There was plenty of action for Cleveland minor leaguers Thursday, with prospects across the globe in action and playing well. The best of the bunch were in Venezuela, with Carlos Moncrief showing off some power and Jesus Aguilar doing something he has not done since 2012. Join Jim Piascik as he recaps all the action and takes you Around the Farm.

A bunch of Cleveland’s prospects in the Arizona Fall League were in action Wednesday, with three pitchers taking the mound and two hitters in the lineup. A few performances were better than others, but overall, it was a very good night for Cleveland. Join Jim Piascik as he recaps all of the action from across the globe and takes you Around the Farm.

The WAR Room is back again, bringing you the 2014 advanced stats for every Cleveland minor leaguer. With the minor league seasons at an end, we continue bringing you seasons in review, with today's featuring the 2014 Mahoning Valley Scrappers. This week we focus on the pitchers, with Jim Piascik breaking down the progress of a bunch of 2014 draft picks, checking in on starters like Sean Brady and Kieran Lovegrove, and much more as he takes you into The WAR Room.

Following a 73-89 showing in 2014, the Chicago White Sox do not jump out as a threat to Cleveland in next year’s division race. Such a thought process would be selling the White Sox short, however. Join Jim Piascik as he breaks down the combination of internal growth and offseason acquisitions that could help the White Sox make a playoff push in 2015 and make the AL Central even more crowded.

The final two offseason leagues -- the Puerto Rican Winter League and the Australian Winter League -- both began play on Thursday, marking the first time every offseason league was in action this season. Cleveland had a couple prospects in action, but as he has all year, third baseman Giovanny Urshela stole the show. Join Jim Piascik as he recaps Urshela’s sustained dominance and the rest of the action from across the globe as he takes you Around the Farm.

Available IBI Books

The 2014 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!